


and as the world comes to an end, i'll be here to hold your hand

by Anonymous



Series: some electric holy yearning [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, having to use their real names is incredibly cringey ugh, it's literally just fluff lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28364001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: There’s the man Phil fell in love with, untouchable as ever, exhilarating in his sheer skill, but.But he’d tried so hard to be good.Techno drops by to pay Phil a visit the night after his execution. (Title from "King and Lionheart" by Of Monsters and Men.)
Relationships: Technoblade/Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: some electric holy yearning [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096256
Comments: 12
Kudos: 356
Collections: Anonymous





	and as the world comes to an end, i'll be here to hold your hand

**Author's Note:**

> techno rejects the family dynamic crabrave
> 
> i just...really like these two and their dynamic ;-; they are so in love
> 
> (if you think this is about you then please don't read it)

Phil does _not_ take well to being trapped indoors. He remembers long winter weeks in the Antarctic Empire, when the snowstorms slammed so hard against the stronghold that he and Techno used to just huddle inside and pray their food stocks held out until it ended. He’d pace the entire time, inconsolable even in the face of Techno’s best efforts, and the moment the winds calmed he was at the entrance with his pickaxe and shovel. Ever-unsatisfied unless he could stretch his wings.

He’s stuck in his house for the foreseeable future, though. He’ll have to bear with it — he can’t afford to make trouble, not after what he saw today. He needs to give Techno time to pick himself up and make a new plan.

So he’ll just have to keep himself busy here and not think about it. Resort his chest, plan for his exit, clean up the mess the Butcher Army left, definitely do _not_ think about how easily he just let them take that _fucking_ compass when it should have been in his Ender Chest in the first place, and the way he just stood there while they shoved Techno in that cage…

He’s in the middle of stripping the sheets off Fundy’s bed when he hears a very distinct _thud_ on his roof. He drops the sheets immediately, abandoning them in a crumpled heap on the bed, and rushes over to open the balcony doors. There’s no one in sight this late at night: L’Manberg is empty and quiet, lit only by the floating lanterns and their reflections on the lake that fills the crater. 

Something brushes past Phil, barely nudging at his hand. Could have been the wind. He waits another second, two, and then steps back inside, shutting the balcony doors behind him.

When he turns around, Techno is standing behind him, barely illuminated by the moonlight through the window. Phil can see him smiling, looking proud of himself as he always does when a plan goes through without a hitch, but the set of his shoulders tells a different story. He’s tired; relieved, but _tired_. 

Phil’s feet are moving before he even thinks about it, until he’s in front of Techno and can wrap a hand into his hair and loop his other arm around his neck and pull him down into a kiss.

Techno bends down to meet him — it’s a dance they’ve done a thousand times. An arm around his waist, fingers in his hair, chapped lips against his. Techno nips at his bottom lip and he opens his mouth with a needy sound, deepening the kiss. He’s sure he must be pulling Techno’s hair _hard_ , gripping it as tight as he is, but Techno doesn’t seem to mind. And Phil doesn’t think he could bring himself to let go anyway. He feels like if he releases his grip he’ll lose sight of Techno again, for good this time.

As it is, they only part when they run out of air. But Techno still presses his forehead to Phil’s as he catches his breath. “You act like you’ve seen a ghost,” he teases, his smile obvious in his tone.

“You—” Phil pauses, too many things rising to his throat for him to even begin to verbalize any of them. “I thought you were going to — I saw them drop an _anvil_ on you, I didn’t know you had a totem, I…” He trails off. One hand drops to rest against Techno’s chest, fingers splayed out over his heart. 

Techno chuckles. It rumbles under Phil’s palm. “O ye of little faith,” he says. “You really thought they could kill me?” He takes a half-step back just enough that Phil can see his face in full. “Wait, you saw how stacked they were, right? Full netherite and all?”

“Of course I did,” Phil starts, “I—”

“I killed Quackity with a pickaxe,” Techno says, eyes glittering in the dark. 

Phil chokes out a sound that’s halfway between a laugh and a sob. “ _Shit_ , Techno.” There’s the man Phil fell in love with, untouchable as ever, exhilarating in his sheer skill, but.

But he’d tried _so hard_ to be good.

“I should have been there,” Phil finally says, “I shouldn’t have just…” He struggles with the words for another long moment, hand balling into a fist. “I don’t like the _waiting_.” He punctuates the statement with a light hit to Techno’s chest. “I’m no good at it.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Techno responds, amused. “I saw that arrow you fired. What was the point of that, by the way?”

“Make myself feel better, mostly,” Phil admits petulantly. “Fuckin’ missed, too.”

Techno snorts. “Don’t tell me you’re getting rusty on me, old man.”

“Oh, fuck you!” Phil laughs, smacking Techno on the shoulder.

Techno laughs as well, pulling Phil back into another kiss. 

The next time Phil opens his eyes, they’re on his bed. Techno is leaning against the wall with Phil in his lap, holding one of Phil’s hands down against the sheets. Must have gotten tired of having his hair pulled. Phil’s other hand is pressed against Techno’s upper arm, keeping himself steady while Techno trails kisses down his jawline.

“Wanna just go tonight?” Techno murmurs against him, voice so low Phil barely hears him. 

“Hm?” Phil responds eloquently. Hard to think with Techno’s lips against the soft spot just under his jaw.

Techno huffs a laugh, tickling Phil’s neck. “We could just go. Grab everything you’d need and make a run for it. What could L’Manberg _really_ do to surprise us when we’re both together, right? You’d have to share a room with Tommy, but…”

Phil pushes Techno back, trying to stifle his own laugh. “What, I wouldn’t get to share with _you_?”

“Nah, gotta keep all my fugitives in one place,” Techno says seriously. He knows he’s being a little shit, by the look on his face, but his voice is as deadpan as ever. “It’s _organization_ , Phil. You get it. Ghostbur might be down there too, I’m not actually sure. Ghostbur kinda just—”

“Kind of a tight fit, don’t you think?” Phil points out. “Tommy’s enough person for three people as it is.” Techno breaks at that, tipping forward to bury his face in the crook of Phil’s neck as his shoulders shake with laughter. “Anyway, I can’t even if I wanted to,” Phil points out. “Ankle monitor, y’know. Lead them right to me.”

Techno sits up straighter at that. Whoops, Phil forgot to mention the ankle monitor, huh. He twists around on the bed to bring up his leg between them. They both stare at it in silence for a long moment, the red light blinking blithely on in the dark.

“I’ve got the pickaxe I used on Quackity,” Techno suggests. Phil bursts back into laughter at that, tipping over and falling back onto the bed. “Still a bit blood-stained, but it’ll do the job. Turns out it’s not actually that bad of a weapon.”

“Fucking hell, Techno,” Phil wheezes, tossing an arm over his eyes. “Tell me you cleaned the blood off your pickaxe. C’mon.”

He feels the mattress dip beside him. Techno, laying down at his side. “Didn’t have time,” he says. “Came home and found Tommy under my basement. Couldn’t even get out here till I put him to bed.” 

“That’s the real reason you want me there, isn’t it?” Phil says wryly. “So I can wrangle him instead.”

Techno snorts. “He is _your_ kid.”

“He likes you better, though,” Phil responds, turning his head to peek out at Techno. “Always very proud to have _The Blade_ for a family friend.” Techno huffs. “You dealt with his nightmares better, too.”

“Wasn’t hard,” Techno says gruffly, turning his face away. “Just had to hug him for a bit and then threaten to fuck up anything that came for him.”

“Uh-huh,” Phil says, shifting to lean his head against Techno’s arm. Techno moves immediately, pulling Phil close without a word. “Thanks for takin’ care of him.”

“Mm,” Techno offers. “You sure you don’t wanna come with me?”

“Not yet,” Phil says. “I wanna keep an eye on things down here for a while. If I run while shit’s still popping off, it’ll just make things worse for you.”

Techno makes a dissatisfied noise and rolls over, wrapping both arms around Phil like he’s a teddy bear and burying his face in Phil’s hair. “I can handle it, though,” he argues. “Especially if you’re there. We could just kill all of ‘em. Two of them are down to their last life anyway.”

Phil laughs and tilts his head, leaning it against Techno’s chest. “Or,” he says, “we could wait a couple days, and I could go while they’re not expecting it, and then we have some time to prepare before they come after me.”

“Think you’ll be safe?” Techno asks.

_Ah, there it is_ , Phil thinks. He’d been wondering why Techno was pushing the point so hard. “I’ll be _fine_ ,” he assures Techno. “I’m on house arrest. If they wanted me dead, they would’ve done it already. Worse comes to worst, they come back with an ankle monitor I can’t take off whenever I want, and I gotta go walk on magma ‘till it breaks. _You’re_ the one I’m worried about.”

“I’m not _living_ in enemy territory and having my _movements_ tracked,” Techno protests. “And I can kick their butts no problem if they come for me again. I’m done trying to be peaceful. I have enough potions for both of us — hell, all our supplies are with me. What are you gonna do if they come for you?”

“They’re not _going_ to come for me,” Phil repeats. “I’m not a fugitive. Yet. But you are, and you’ve got another one living, what — under your basement? You’re…” He trails off, stifling another giggle. “This is a silly argument.” He rolls over to face Techno, cupping his face in both hands.

Techno watches him, pouting. Phil laughs again and kisses his nose just to watch the way his face scrunches up. “I promise,” he offers, “not to sit here and fret about you until you come get me, if _you_ promise to focus on keeping safe and not come until you’re ready. How does that sound?”

“Mmph,” Techno says with great reluctance.

Phil pokes his cheek. “Techno,” he coaxes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Techno huffs, “I promise. C’mere.” He drags Phil back over again, tangling their legs together and tucking Phil’s head under his chin. Phil leans into him, wrapping an arm around his waist and nuzzling closer. He’d like to say Techno’s scent is comforting, but right now he smells like sweat and blood and running. Phil doesn’t mind, though. 

It’s closer than they’ve been in a long time — since Port-aux-Francais, if he really thinks about it. When they’d reunited, after years of being apart, Techno had been as distant as he’d been in the early days: keeping himself closed off, as if he worried showing his soft spot was liable to get him a knife in the back even from Phil. They’d fallen back into being partners easy as anything, but their edges didn’t match as cleanly as they used to. They needed wearing down again.

Phil traces meaningless lines down Techno’s back, feeling the way he shivers and buries his face in Phil’s hair even though nobody’s looking at him in the dark and the quiet. How much longer until Phil regains the privilege of seeing those expressions, too? “How long can you stay?” he whispers into the dark.

“‘M goin’ back in the morning,” Techno mutters back. 

Phil opens his eyes, frowning. “Will you be safe? You can’t afford to get caught here.”

“I’ll be fine,” Techno says, for what feels like the twentieth time that night. “I’ve got enough invisibility potions to get me out safely. Just need you to open your balcony door and I’ll be good.” 

_Let me have this_ goes unsaid, but the way he holds Phil a little tighter tells him enough. Phil doesn’t remember the last time he saw Techno this exhausted.

“I’m waking you up early,” Phil threatens, just to elicit a faint laugh out of him, and then ceases talking entirely in favor of tracing small hearts into his skin.

He isn’t sure who falls asleep first, only that he wakes up to someone ringing his doorbell _over_ and _over_ again. Techno shifts next to him and Phil grabs at his shirt blearily, barely awake. Techno falls back down obediently, but he’s tense. “G’nna fuckin’ kill whoever’s at the door,” Phil mutters into his chest. “Swear t’god.”

Techno snickers and brushes fingers through Phil’s bedhead. “Mind opening the balcony up for me first?” he asks.

Phil snaps awake, adrenaline sparking down his spine as he jerks to a sitting position. Right, yeah. No time to laze around in bed. “Yeah, I got you,” he says, and then calls downstairs to the incessant sound of the bell, “I’m _coming_! Don’t ring the damn thing off the hinges!” The bell gives one last hesitant chime, and then stops.

Techno ducks out of the way as Phil storms over to the balcony doors. He stops just short of opening them, pausing to catch Techno with the potion halfway with his mouth. He pulls him down to brush one last kiss against his lips. “Stay safe,” he says.

“Be back soon,” Techno responds.

Phil nods once, determined, and then walks over and slams the doors open with a call of, “The fuck do you want?”

Fundy is standing sheepishly at the door, ears back. “Hey, Grandpa,” he begins. 

Phil gives him an incredulous look and then spins on his heel to walk back into the bedroom, right past where Techno stood a few seconds prior. He gathers up the bedsheets he’d stripped from the other bed the night prior, then returns to the balcony and chucks the bundle at Fundy.

It hits him right in the face. “Get the fuck off my property!” Phil shouts, pretending he doesn’t hear Techno chuckle next to his ear as he makes his escape.

**Author's Note:**

> come chat with me about these two in the [shipping discord](https://discord.gg/vJTKCAxsKK)! we never shut up and it's so much fun.
> 
> comments are always appreciated!!


End file.
